CIPIT Blog

Insights, analysis, and commentary on intellectual property, information technology law, and digital policy in Africa.

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Part 2 Towards a Governance Theory of Copyright: Sound Recordings

By Samuel Ugwumba* In Part 1 here, I argued for what I have termed a ‘Governance Theory of Copyright.’ The core features of this emergent...

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The "Hoodia Cactus" and the Efficacy of Access and Benefit Sharing Agreements

By Wanjiku Karanja** The Hoodia Gordonii is a species of cactus originating from the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa. The indigenous San people of Southern...

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Intellectual Property Considerations During Startup Pitches

At Strathmore University, @iBizAfrica is a busi­ness incub­ator that was set up to car­ry out the Entre­pren­eur­ship and Incub­a­tion theme of Strathmore’s @iLabAfrica. @iBizAfrica seeks...

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Need for Policy and Legal Framework for ICT Critical Infrastructure

Critical Infrastructure (CI) comprises essential services such as electricity, water, transportation, telecommunications, commerce and health. The convergence of networks and information systems now means that...

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Use of Skin SIM Technology and Data Privacy in Kenya

Following our previous update on the Thin Sim debate in Kenya, the High Court made its ruling in the case of Legal Advice Centre aka...

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Jurisprudence on Defamation on Social Media in Africa

In a South African case reported as Isparta v Richter 2013 6 SA 4529 (GP) the plaintiff instituted an action for defamation against the defendants...

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Recap of 2016 East African Islamic Finance Summit: An Intellectual Property Perspective

Islamic Finance is financing that is based on Islamic Law known as Shari’ah. Islamic Finance is gaining popularity due to a growing demand for its...

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Intellectual Property Rights: the Key to Supporting Economic Growth? – A Different View

As African nations transition from resource to innovation-led knowledge economies it is critically important to raise awareness of the positive impact of IP and in...

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Towards a Governance Theory of Copyright Law

By Samuel Ugwumba* In the past several months I have been thinking about, and rethinking, copyright law and theory. This rethinking culminated in a paper...

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